Restoration
by kaye22
Summary: Post Best of Both Worlds. Riker was brave enough to kill him. Is he brave to face him?


Restoration

by Kaye

Will Riker was puzzled when he received the message. In the first place, it was delivered in the form of Ensign Yasta, not the computer.

"Commander, Captain Picard wishes to meet with you at 1700 hours."

In the second place, the ensign gave no indication as to where the meeting was to take place. Usually, ship's business was conducted in the captain's ready room, but since the Borg encounter, the un-usual seemed to be the norm on this starship.

"Computer - location of Counselor Troi."

"Counselor Troi is on holodeck four."

Will smiled. There was no way he could interrupt Deanna on a Wednesday afternoon on Holodeck Four. She and Beverly had a long-standing program of chocolate and gossip surrounded by whatever environment suited their fancy that day. Three months ago he had accidentally happened upon them lying on lounge chairs beside a crystal lake, being spoon fed hot fudge sundaes by swarthy Nubian warriors. He had learned his lesson.

He would just have to wait until 1700 hours. He leaned forward in the command chair and drummed his fingers on the console. He was not good at waiting.



At precisely 1700 hours, Captain Picard looked up at the sound of the familiar trill of the door. He smiled to himself. Will was predictably punctual as always.

"Come."

The commander strode through the door and stood before his captain, legs apart, hands behind his back.

"You wanted to meet with me, sir?"

The captain pushed two buttons on his console, stood, tugged at his tunic, and came around to stand beside his first officer. "Will, just for now, can we drop the protocol? What I want to say to you is personal." He gestured to the settee and both men sat down, side by side.

Jean Luc Picard swallowed hard and rubbed a hand over his head. He touched the healing scars that were the last remnants of his assimilation by the Borg and froze. Riker leaned forward and placed a hand on the captain's shoulder.

"What is it?" he asked hesitantly. Up till now, any Borg conversations between the senior officers of the Enterprise had been strictly business. Will sensed this was about to change.

Jean Luc placed his hand over Will's and said, "This is going to be harder than I thought." He took a deep breath and continued, "Will, I feel that you and I should talk. It seems that I've been yammering on for weeks about this whole incident with everyone except the one person on this ship I really need to talk to."

Will tried to interject, but the captain held up his hand, so the larger man settled back into the sofa instead.

"I do hope you know that I have always felt fortunate commanding the Enterprise with you at my side. I consider you the finest officer I have served with. I also consider you my friend... and I hope that I am yours."

Riker nodded.

"My assimilation by the Borg has been one of, no, "the" most difficult experience I have had to endure in my lifetime. Even now, it is hard for me to erase the horror from my mind."

Will kept his eyes locked with the captain's. He had never heard such raw emotion in his commander's voice and he wanted to give his friend the strength to say whatever was needed.

"I know this is not going to come out the way I want it to, but, that moment on the bridge, when you gave Worf the order to fire on the Borg ship, was the moment I was the most proud to have been able to call you my friend."

"What! I could have killed you!"

"I know that. And I am grateful that the plan didn't work, but it was a defining moment in both our lives and you know it. It was heroic. And how many times do we get to say that?"

"Heroic? I just stayed true to form and tried to blast my way out of trouble!" Riker, weeks of guilt finally bubbling to the surface, stood up and faced the captain with a tortured expression. "You know it took all of six hours for Starfleet to hand me the Enterprise? Guinan said I had to let you go - said you would have wanted it that way. Beverly kept begging me to rescue you, Shelby was second-guessing me every minute - hell, even Locutus haunted me with that damn "Number One"!"

Picard rose from the couch and grabbed his friend by the shoulders. "Will - you saved me - YOU. YOU saved the Enterprise - YOU saved Earth!"

Riker roughly pulled away from the captain's grasp. "Me? He uttered a humorless chuckle. "YOU did it! YOU always do it! Who gave Data the information to destroy them? YOU DID! Even with half your body Borg - the courageous Jean Luc Picard saves the day while the amiable, yet average Commander Riker breathes a sigh of relief that all the damn starships were blown to bits so he doesn't have to command one!"

Picard took a step back, shaken by the force of Riker's words. He knew his first officer was not unaffected by the incident, but was surprised to find the rage so close to the surface.

The taller man watched the captain unconsciously trace the scars on his forehead and winced. "Oh, hell, Captain - I apologize. God, I'm a selfish bastard! After what you have just been through and here I am still trying to get some kind of approval..." Riker sat heavily back down on the couch, averting his captain's gaze. "Forgive me."

Picard smiled wearily and sat down beside his first officer. "Will, please, listen to me. I'm not doing a very good job of this, but I am trying to thank you. You seek approval? You've got that. Wholeheartedly, although you have never needed it. This is just me, Jean Luc Picard, trying to tell you, William Riker, that I am forever grateful that you ignored the odds and the risks and the fine teachings of your Captain, and came back and rescued me. That's all."

Riker was suddenly hit with a strange sense of de ja vu. "...the needs of the one outweighed the needs of the few..."

"...or the many, " Picard finished the sentence. "But Will, when you fired on the Borg ship - the needs of the many outweighed the needs of the one."

"...Spock risked everything to save the Enterprise. I don't think I will ever forget the first time I read the logs of that mission. With his last breath he was still worried about the ship."

Picard looked solemnly at Will. "Seems we have quite a bit in common with our predecessors. If I remember my history, Kirk then risked everything to save Spock. The needs of the one..." Picard paused, lost in images of other captains on other Enterprises. He turned and laid a hand on Riker's shoulder. "I have been and always shall be...your friend."

Riker searched for words to express his emotions. He raised his hand in a familiar gesture and whispered hoarsely, "Live long and prosper, Jean Luc."

Picard rose and walked over to the alcove and retrieved a bottle and two glasses. Riker stood and accepted one of the glasses as Picard poured the burgundy liquid and remarked, "It's not from the Picard grape, but it will have to do."

The two men faced each other as Picard spoke, "To tomorrow. And to life. Thanks to my friend, Will, the quality of mine is surely enhanced."

Tears glistened in his eyes as Will answered, "...and to Jean Luc Picard, whose courage and integrity I will never forget, and whose trust and friendship I hold most dear."

They touched glasses and drank. Riker watched in amusement as Picard swished the liquid in his mouth, frowning. The captain finally swallowed and shook his head. "I've got to get Robert to send me a bottle of the "good stuff." My palate is going to rack and ruin."

"Why don't you go get it yourself? We're home. You should go see your family."

Picard eyed Will suspiciously. "That's not Deanna talking, is it, Will?"

Riker feigned indignation. "Captain, I am shocked!" Then he smiled, "well, it is a good idea. You've got the time. If I may say so, sir -Jean Luc- the last thing you need is to rattle around this ship by yourself."

"I will take that under advisement, Number..." he hesitated.

"Number One. You were going to say Number One," Will respond. "That's what I am. Your number one. I have always been partial to that name and I'll be damned if I'm gonna let some two-ton hunk-o junk race of lug heads take it from me! So I would be happy if you just kept calling me by my name."

Picard nodded. "Agreed, Number One. Those "lug heads" have taken enough from us, already."

A voice interrupted Riker's reply. "Worf to Captain Picard."

"Go ahead, Lieutenant."

"Sir, Admiral Strathmore has arrived and has asked that both you and Commander Riker meet him in his quarters."

"Understood, Lieutenant. Inform the admiral that we are on our way."

As the two senior officers of the starship Enterprise headed out the door together, Picard remarked, "Now will that term - "two-ton hunk-o-junk" be in your official report...?"


End file.
